What is this genre all about? Drama is a form of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone.
We present you the list of Drama manga you should read right now.
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Top 20 Drama manga you should read right now. [2026 List]
- 20. One Piece
- 19. Hoegwihan Yongbyeongeun Da Gyehoegi Itda
- 18. Gao Wu: Denglu Weilai Yi Wan Nian
- 17. Dandadan
- 16. Tokyo Ghoul
- 15. Fullmetal Alchemist
- 14. Attack on Titan
- 13. Tokyo Ghoul:re
- 12. Release That Witch
- 11. The Indomitable Martial King
- 10. Berserk
- 9. Gantz
- 8. Death Note
- 7. Vagabond
- 6. Kingdom
- 5. Iphagyongbyeong
- 4. Koe no Katachi
- 3. Oyasumi Punpun
- 2. The Last Adventurer
- 1. Seirei Gensouki
20. One Piece
Gol D. Roger was known as the Pirate King, the strongest and most infamous being to have sailed the Grand Line. The capture and death of Roger by the World Government brought a change throughout the world. His last words before his death revealed the location of the greatest treasure in the world, One Piece. It was this revelation that brought about the Grand Age of Pirates, men who dreamed of finding One Piece (which promises an unlimited amount of riches and fame), and quite possibly the most coveted of titles for the person who found it, the title of the Pirate King.
Enter Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy that defies your standard definition of a pirate. Rather than the popular persona of a wicked, hardened, toothless pirate who ransacks villages for fun, Luffy’s reason for being a pirate is one of pure wonder; the thought of an exciting adventure and meeting new and intriguing people, along with finding One Piece, are his reasons of becoming a pirate. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, experiencing crazy adventures, unveiling dark mysteries and battling strong enemies, all in order to reach One Piece.
One Piece is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ONE PIECE, Budak Getah, Đảo Hải Tặc, Большой куш, Ван Пис, Уан Пийс, Эйтиро Ода, Վան Փիս, וואן פיס, قطعة واحدة, وان پیس, ون بيس, وەن پیس, वान पिस, वान् पीस, ওয়ান পিস, ஒன் பீஸ், วันพีซ, ဝမ်းပိစ်, ዋንፒስ, ワンピース, 海盗路飞, 海賊王, 海贼王, 航海王, 원피스
19. Hoegwihan Yongbyeongeun Da Gyehoegi Itda
The 7th Continental Mercenary King, Ghislain Perdium, started a great war to avenge the fallen Perdium family.
While all the revenge was coming to a smooth conclusion, an unexpected figure, Aiden, appeared and thwarted Ghislain's plan, and beheaded him.
Ghislainthought he would die, but when he opened his eyes, he had regressed to the young Ghislain he was before the family's downfall.
In order not to repeat the painful mistake, he began to put the pieces back together one by one using the knowledge and power he had from his previous life.
Hoegwihan Yongbyeongeun Da Gyehoegi Itda is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations, Every Returned Mercenary Has a Plan
18. Gao Wu: Denglu Weilai Yi Wan Nian
At the beginning of the martial dao, abnormal beasts invaded the world. Humanity’s martials had to retreat in defeat time and time again. Lu Sheng transmigrates to that time, but in his dreams he enters a world 10 000 years later. The foundational body refining method from 10k years in the future is several thousand times more effective than the current one. Then there’s the breathing method, body refining pill formula, and sacred martial law from 10k years later… Despite developing martial arts for 10k years, humanity was annihilated! Their martial arts civilization reached the apex, and yet there was no one left to inherit it. Except Lu Sheng, he’s exactly that last spark of hope!
Logging 10,000 Years into the Future is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Apex Future Martial Arts, Martial Art: Future's Ten Thousand Years, Gāo Wǔ: Dēnglù Wèilái Yī Wàn Nián
17. Dandadan
Ghosts, monsters, aliens, teen romance, battles...and the kitchen sink! This series has it all! Takakura, an occult maniac who doesn't believe in ghosts, and Ayase, a girl who doesn't believe in aliens, try to overcome their differences when they encounter the paranormal! This manga is out of this world!
Dandadan is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ダンダダン, Dan Da Dan, DAN DA DAN
16. Tokyo Ghoul
Shy Ken Kaneki is thrilled to go on a date with the beautiful Rize. But it turns out that she’s only interested in his body—eating it, that is. When a morally questionable rescue transforms him into the first half-human half-Ghoul hybrid, Ken is drawn into the dark and violent world of Ghouls, which exists alongside our own.
Note: Includes 1 extra chapter.
Tokyo Ghoul has finished publishing and it has 144 Chapters. It is also Known as: 東京喰種トーキョーグール, Toukyou Kushu
15. Fullmetal Alchemist
In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical "auto-mail" limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his brother and himself... the legendary Philosopher's Stone.
Won the 49th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shounen category.
Won the 15th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Award New Artist Prize.
Won the Eagle Award's "Favourite Manga" in 2010/2011.
Won the Seiun Award for best science fiction comic in 2011.
Fullmetal Alchemist has finished publishing and it has 116 Chapters. It is also Known as: Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, 鋼の錬金術師, Full Metal Alchemist, FMA, HagaRen, Fullmetal Alchemist Gaiden
14. Attack on Titan
A century ago, the grotesque giants known as Titans appeared and consumed all but a few thousand humans. The survivors took refuge behind giant walls. Today, the threat of the Titans is a distant memory, and a boy named Eren yearns to explore the world beyond Wall Maria. But what began as a childish dream will become an all-too-real nightmare when the Titans return and humanity is once again on the brink of extinction … Attack on Titan is the award-winning and New York Times-bestselling series that is the manga hit of the decade! Spawning the monster hit anime TV series of the same name, Attack on Titan has become a pop culture sensation.
Volume 3 contains the special story "Rivai Heishichou" (リヴァイ兵士長, Captain Levi).
Volume 5 contains the side story "Ilse no Techou" (イルゼの手帳, Ilse's Notebook).
Attack on Titan has finished publishing and it has 141 Chapters. It is also Known as: Shingeki no Kyojin, 進撃の巨人, L'attaque sur les titans, Атака титанов, ھێرش بۆ سەر زەبەلاحەكان, 進擊的巨人, SNK, AOT, Ilse no Techou, Rivai Heishichou
13. Tokyo Ghoul:re
The Commission of Counter Ghoul is the only organization fighting the Ghoul menace, and they will use every tool at their disposal to protect humanity from its ultimate predator. Their newest weapon in this hidden war is an experimental procedure that implants human investigators with a Ghoul's Kagune, giving them Ghoul powers and abilities. But both the procedure and the newly formed Qs Squad are untested. Will they become heroes… or monsters?
Tokyo Ghoul:re has finished publishing and it has 179 Chapters. It is also Known as: 東京喰種-トーキョーグール-:re, トーキョーグール:re, Tokyo Ghoul: "Joker", Tokyo Kushu:re, Toukyou Kuushu:re
12. Release That Witch
A male engineer transmigrated into another world, and became a prince. This place strikingly resembles the Middle Ages of Europe, but at the same time, it seems kind of different? Witches truly exists, and they even possess magic powers! Magic powers are productive forces! Save the witches, liberate the productive forces! Open map, fight demons, break conspiracies, climb up the science and technology tree, and open the path of hardcore ‘farming’!
(Source:MU)
Release That Witch has finished publishing and it has 695 Chapters. It is also Known as: Release That Witch
11. The Indomitable Martial King
A world where humans sell and buy otherworldly species as slaves. The great mage Rifenhardt is treated like the Demon King for helping the otherworldly species. A party of heroes arrive to bring down the Demon King! Rifenhardt succeeds in greatly injuring the heroes, but he faces death at the hands of the MARTIAL KING??! Tesslon… "Time and Space Regression Spell." However, he miraculously manages to cast this last-resort spell and regresses to the past. But… "I became the MARTIAL KING??! Tesslon, one of the heroes who tried to kill me and the strongest on the continent?!" Now begins Rifenhardt's adventures as both a great mage and the physically strongest man to change the world!
The Indomitable Martial King is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Time Slip of the Fist King, 拳王轉生
10. Berserk
His name is Guts, the Black Swordsman, a feared warrior spoken of only in whispers. Bearer of a gigantic sword, an iron hand, and the scars of countless battles and tortures, his flesh is also indelibly marked with The Brand, an unholy symbol that draws the forces of darkness to him and dooms him as their sacrifice. But Guts won't take his fate lying down; he'll cut a crimson swath of carnage through the ranks of the damned—and anyone else foolish enough to oppose him! Accompanied by Puck the Elf, more an annoyance than a companion, Guts relentlessly follows a dark, bloodstained path that leads only to death...or vengeance.
Notes:
- Volumes 1-5 contain the 16 prequel chapters 0A - 0P.
- Chapter 83 was omitted from Volume 13 due to the author’s request.
- Volume 14 includes “Berserk: The Prototype”.
- Due to the author's passing, starting from Chapter 365, the manga is illustrated by Studio Gaga (Miura's assistants) and supervised by Kouji Mori (a close friend of Miura's).
Berserk is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: ベルセルク, Berserk: The Prototype
9. Gantz
Tokyo teens Kei and Masaru are killed by a subway train but awaken in a room with an ominous black orb that gives them weapons, suits and orders. Fighting bizarre alien monstrosities in a deadly game, will they win their freedom or die for the final time?
Gantz has finished publishing and it has 383 Chapters. It is also Known as: GANTZ, GANTZ: T, GANTZ:T, GANTZ杀戮都市, Ганц, กันสึ, ガンツ, 杀戮都市
8. Death Note
Light Yagami is a brilliant 17-year-old student, one of the top scorers on his exams in all of Japan. One day as he leaves school, he finds a mysterious black notebook on the ground with "Death Note" written on it. The first thing written inside: "The human whose name is written in the notebook shall die." Light decides to use this to cleanse the world of evil by killing all the criminals. On the scene comes L, ace detective, who's determined to find Light—who the world now calls "Kira"—and track him down, thus bringing us an epic psychological thrill ride.
Death Note has finished publishing and it has 108 Chapters. It is also Known as: DEATH NOTE, Death Note
7. Vagabond
In 16th century Japan, Shinmen Takezou is a wild, rough young man, in both his appearance and his actions. His aggressive nature has won him the collective reproach and fear of his village, leading him and his best friend, Matahachi Honiden, to run away in search of something grander than provincial life. The pair enlist in the Toyotomi army, yearning for glory—but when the Toyotomi suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Tokugawa Clan at the Battle of Sekigahara, the friends barely make it out alive.
After the two are separated, Shinmen returns home on a self-appointed mission to notify the Hon'iden family of Matahachi's survival. He instead finds himself a wanted criminal, framed for his friend's supposed murder based on his history of violence. Upon being captured, he is strung up on a tree and left to die. An itinerant monk, the distinguished Takuan Soho, takes pity on the "devil child," secretly freeing Shinmen and christening him with a new name to avoid pursuit by the authorities: Musashi Miyamoto.
Vagabond is the fictitious retelling of the life of one of Japan's most renowned swordsmen, the "Sword Saint" Musashi Miyamoto—his rise from a swordsman with no desire other than to become "Invincible Under the Heavens" to an enlightened warrior who slowly learns of the importance of close friends, self-reflection, and life itself.
Vagabond has finished publishing and it has 327 Chapters. It is also Known as: バガボンド, Vagabond
6. Kingdom
Millions of years have passed since the times of legends, when the worlds of man and gods were still the same. In these times it was the desires of man that moved the world. It is the period of the 500 year war: the Era of Warring States. Kingdom is the story of a young boy who grew into a great general and all the trials and bloodshed that led him there.
is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: キングダム, Kingdom
5. Iphagyongbyeong
At the age of eight, I-Jin Yu lost his parents in a plane crash and became stranded in a foreign land, forced to become a child mercenary in order to stay alive. He returns home ten years later to be reunited with his family in Korea, where food and shelter are plenty and everything seems peaceful. But I-Jin will soon learn that life as a teenager is a whole other feat of survival. With only one year of high school left, I-Jin must master new tactics to maneuver his way around the schoolhouse battleground. Can he survive a year of high school? Or rather, will the school be able to survive him?
Mercenary Enrollment is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: High School Mercenary (French), High School Soldier (Indonesian), Mercenario adolescente, Mercenary Enrollment, Söldnereinschreibung, Tentara Menyamar Jadi Anak SMA, พี่ชายสายบอดี้การ์ด, 入学傭兵, 入學傭兵, 少年佣兵
4. Koe no Katachi
Based on a one-shot that won the 80th Weekly Shounen Magazine Newbie Best Mangaka Award.
Shouya is a bully. When Shouko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shouya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shouko is forced to leave the school, and Shouya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shouya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late?
Note: Includes two extra chapters.
A Silent Voice has finished publishing and it has 64 Chapters. It is also Known as: 聲の形, The Shape of Voice, A Voz do Silêncio, A Forma da Voz, Kształt twojego głosu, Sessizliğin Sesi, 声之形, Форма голоса, Němý hlas, รักไร้เสียง, Oblik glasa, 목소리의 형태, Форма голосу, Silhuett av en stemme
3. Oyasumi Punpun
Punpun is an ordinary young boy growing up in Japan whose age of innocence has reached its end after his father is arrested for spousal abuse and putting his mother in the hospital. With his uncle looking after him, Punpun grows into adulthood facing a series of events which change him, for better or worse, forcing him to contemplate just what it means to be an adult.
Goodnight Punpun has finished publishing and it has 147 Chapters. It is also Known as: おやすみプンプン, Dobranoc, Punpunie, Bonne nuit Punpun!, Boa noite, Punpun, Bona nit, Punpun, Buenas noches, Punpun, Gute Nacht, Punpun, 잘자 뿡뿡, 晚安布布, לילה טוב, פונפון, Buonanotte, Punpun, İyi Geceler, Punpun, ฝันดีนะปุนปุน
2. The Last Adventurer
In the Era of Adventure kickstarted by the spawning of Gates, marked by absolute hopelessness, destitute, desperation, and despair, everyone had given up their hope and lost their courage to continue fighting - except one adventurer that refused to go down until his last breath. "You are the only one left, Last Adventurer Elpam." As the history of adventurers was forced to come to an end, the Last Adventurer returned to where this story all began.
The Last Adventurer has finished publishing and it has 121 Chapters. It is also Known as: Choehu-ui Moheomga, Maplestory: The Last Adventurer, 메이플스토리: 최후의 모험가, Последний искатель приключений
1. Seirei Gensouki
Amakawa Haruto is a young man who died before reuniting with his childhood friend who disappeared five years ago. Rio is a boy living in the slums who wants revenge for his mother who was murdered in front of him when he was five years old.
Earth and another world. Two people with completely different backgrounds and values. For some reason, the memories and personality of Haruto who should've died is resurrected in Rio's body. As the two are confused over their memories and personalities fusing together, Rio (Haruto) decide to live in this new world.
Along with Haruto's memories, Rio awakens an unknown "special power," and it seems that if he uses it well, he can live a better life. But before that, Rio encountered a kidnapping that turns out to be two princesses of the Bertram Kingdom that he lives in.
After saving the princesses, Rio is given a scholarship to the Royal Academy, a school for the rich and powerful. Being a poor orphan in a school of nobles turns out to be an extremely detestable place to be.
Seirei Gensouki is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 精霊幻想記, Seirei Gensouki (Minazuki Futago), Mythical Spirit Chronicle